I like to believe I’m a fun Mom.
I place much emphasis on play and taking my children out for outdoor fun. On August 24 to 25, we went on a camping adventure at the BSP (Boys Scouts of the Philippines) Capitol Hills South Camp in Barangay Kalunasan. Continue reading“Why take your children out for outdoor fun”
In my column over at CDN Digital, I wrote about my practice of going on four monthly dates with my children.
I wrote:
“The first date is with Nicholas; the second with Antoinette; the third with Jeff Jr.; and the fourth with all three of them.”
READ HERE: Nanay Says: Ate Kuya
The dates need not be lavish or elaborate. Sometimes it’s a trip to an animal park; other times it’s just a walk to a nearby sari-sari store to buy chocolates or lollipops. Continue reading“Why monthly dates matter to you and your children”
I am scheduled to host an online show this afternoon in relation to the upcoming May 13, 2019 elections and here I am in my home-office corner staring at the books on my shelves. 
There is a good list of titles on the second level: Milne Shepard’s Winnie-the-Pooh, Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Jack Kerouac’s Lonesome Traveler, Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, Cecilia Brainard’s Magdalena and The Newspaper Widow, and some book on potty training. Continue reading“The truth about potty training”
Miguel is a young boy and just like any other boy, his world revolves around play. So focused is Miguel about play that he forgets to take a bath. He goes to sleep as a filthy boy, with no worries about going to bed covered in dirt and grime.
He woke up one day with mung bean seedlings growing out of his ears! Imagine all that dirt inside those ears that made those seedlings sprout! Continue reading“Recommended Read: Just Add Dirt”
It was Saturday and I promised the twins they are in for an adventure that would require bringing their swimsuits even though we are not going to the pool.
I worked for about three hours that morning but thankfully, I have a job that allows me to bring my children. The venue for my coverage that morning was also child-friendly so I was able to do my job, wrap it up and then proceed to SM Seaside’s Skypark for four hours of solid playground happiness.
Continue reading“Ruffolo Travels: Saturday afternoon play at SM Seaside’s Sky Park”
School is over after the twins’ Moving Up ceremony on April 13 but before we could even plan out our activities for the summer, McDonald’s sent us an invitation to join them as they treat selected children in Cebu for a glimpse of the “Kiddie Crew Workshop: Explorer Edition!”
And so on a Sunday, March 31, on my day off (hooray!), Ate Joy and I packed two bags and brought the mutants to McDonald’s North Reclamation Area branch for an afternoon of play and adventure. Continue reading“Time to explore with McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Workshop”
This sounds like a title to our storybook — and that’s because it is.
Or to be clear about it, it WILL be.
Our youngest son, Jeff Junior, is obsessed about firefighters, firetrucks, fire engines. 
I am sure he got this from his older brother, Nicholas, who learned about different jobs that people do from the book, Ang Pambihirang Sombrero (The Amazing Hat) by Jose Miguel Tejido. Continue reading“JJ goes to the fire station”
“Tuko, the Tenor Wannabe” is a story that defines expectation versus reality. 
Author Nemah Hermosa gave us Tuko, who badly wants to be a singer. He went to music school and dreamed of being in the opera. But he just not cut out for it because… he does not have the beautiful voice to boot. To be blunt, he is off key and annoying to listen to. But he is persistent and stubborn refusing to listen to anyone, even his mother.
With fun illustrations by artist Ruben de Jesus, this story takes us into the amusing journey of Tuko — and how he realized that he just have to give up singing so he can keep his friends.
This is a story that I first encountered nine years ago during an Inquirer Read-along session. I did not like it at first. I cannot quite remember why. Maybe because I was 23 years old then with little knowledge about what storybooks are appropriate for children. I saw a copy of this again in 2017 when I was browsing through the shelves of National Bookstore, in search for a unique storybook. I found this book, read it, and loved it! This is a perfect material to use to teach children the value of humility; to accept their weaknesses and choosing to channel their energies into other endeavors.
Starting with this edition of our Book Reviews in this site, I decided to record myself (audio or video, whichever works) reading the story along with a copy of the book. For this edition, I have my daughter, Antoinette, help me out. She can now read sight words and four-letter to five-letter words so I am using this book to help her improve her reading skills as well.
If you have any storybook suggestions, feel free to send us a message through our Facebook page or write a comment below.
Thanks for reading and watching!
We live in a sub-urban, sub-rural community in a town called Liloan, which is located about 16 kilometers from Cebu City or 13.3 kilometers from the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
It is a nightmare to travel from where we live to Cebu City because of the horrible traffic situation in Consolacion town and Mandaue City. On good days, it takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes; on bad days, travel time runs for three hours. Continue reading“An Afternoon at Liloan’s Ibabaw Mountain Resort”
We are creatures of habit — and what we constantly do shapes our person.
When I was nine years old, my family moved to a village called Libas in Merida, Leyte. Barangay Libas is located 27 kilometers (or 45 minutes to one hour travel) from Ormoc City.Continue reading“Creatures of Habit”
